Saturday, November 27, 2010

Over the past several months, I've acquired a couple of pieces of billhead which refer to Ostrich feather dusters as either part of the business information in the header or as line items. While I was looking for Ostrich images, I happened upon an image of an Ostrich race. This intrigued me, since I had no idea that an ostrich could be ridden, much less raced. After having found one image, I went looking for more, and found a potential source for the Ostrich Feather Dusters sold by the Phoenix Brush Company, Inc. - the Cawston Ostrich Farm in California. The old linen postcards pictured on this site are almost surreal, and I couldn't pass up using at least one of them as a source for my art work on the Phoenix Brush Company billhead.

A couple of weeks ago, Brian Carlisle from the Paper Sponge put up a post called Bits of Bird Life from an article published in an 1897 issue of the Youth Companion. Fascinating to say the least. If you are interested in ephemera like I am, you really ought to give the Paper Sponge a look. I had no idea Ostrich Farming was such a money-making proposition at the turn of the Century. Brian's article nudged my brain and I decided to tackle the Ostrich while it was still standing still.

The gentleman aboard this male ostrich is apparently well acquainted with the bird, since I see no evidence of saddle or bridle. Perhaps he just waited until the bird stuck his head in the sand as the ostrich is doing in the image above. Later I hope to post another piece depicting a young lady riding one side-saddle.

Friday, November 19, 2010

The top image is one of about twenty covers I produced as a printed issue for the Motorcycle stamps which were released during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2006 in Sturgis, SD. I asked the owners of the four different motorcycles which were depicted on the stamps to autograph the cover with 'their' stamp on it. Although I had intended to sell these to offset the expense of attending the First Day Ceremony and obtaining Unofficial cancels for my hand-drawn and painted issue, I was not allowed to sell them in Sturgis. Penny Nickerson's cycle (which she called 'Olive') is a 1918 Cleveland. She rides it, and has a mechanic who travels with her to make certain that it continues to run as it is supposed to.

The second cover is the hand drawn issue which I did for my subscribers and portrays my brother-in-law on his Indian Scout. I think I've posted this one before, but I wanted to get a post up, even if it isn't Old Paper Art. The reason I was anxious to put something up today is because yesterday a lady by the name of Debbie sent me a great email.

Debbie Overton has a new site calledFresh Approach, and she published a wonderful interview that she did with yours truly. We did the interview several weeks ago. Of the images that are included with the interview, five of them have found new homes. THANK YOU, Debbie!!!

Also, Beth Niquette is hosting Postcard Friendly Friday at her site The Best Hearts Are Crunchy , and she has posted a great Lincoln postcard which you have to see to believe. Visit and peruse the list of other bloggers participating in Postcard Friendly Friday.

Dynamic Views of Old Paper Art

About Me

I'm a seventy year old artist with a taste for history and the printed word. I've been putting my art on envelopes for well over fifty years, and still continue to do that either on a whim or of necessity. I consider Thank You cards a necessity.